1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns multiple conductor electrical connectors that can be used for electrically interconnecting two electronic components that have large numbers of electrical terminals. The invention is particularly concerned with multiple conductor electrical connectors by which large arrays of closely spaced terminals can be interconnected, e.g., microchips and microchip interconnects.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to electrically interconnect two arrays of electrical terminals, each terminal of one array can be connected to one of a plurality of pins, each of which fits into a spring-loaded socket that is connected to a terminal of the other array. When the terminals have a "fine pitch," i.e., are closely spaced, as are those of microchips and microchip interconnects, pin-and-socket connectors tend to be expensive and difficult to manufacture.
European Pat. Publication No. 0,223,464 published May 27, 1987 (Reylek et al.) is concerned with multiple conductor electrical connectors for fine pitch electronic components, e.g. 0.1 mm between the centers of adjacent terminals. The EPO patent publication describes two prior techniques for electrically interconnecting facing terminal arrays of two electronic components. One technique utilizes "flip chip" devices, and another utilizes a layer of polymer containing electrically conductive particles that deform when the two components are pressed against the polymeric layer so that each deformed particle provides an electrical path between opposed terminals. When the polymer is an adhesive, it can bond the two components together. When the polymer is not an adhesive, a clamp is used to maintain the electrical connections and must be so designed and used that sufficient pressure is applied to ensure good electrical contact at every connection. Whether or not the polymer is an adhesive, it should electrically insulate adjacent particles from each other.
Like the particle-containing polymeric layer produced by the second technique, the connector of the Reylek EPO publication has a polymeric layer containing electrically conductive elements except that in the Reylek connector, each of the elements is a coating of electrically conductive material and the elements can be uniformly spaced. A Reylek connector can be made by forming a pattern in a rigid plastic sheet, depositing a metal layer over the pattern, covering the metal layer with a polymeric matrix, removing the plastic sheet, covering the thus-exposed side of the metal layer with a polymeric matrix, and then grinding off polymer at both sides until segments of the metal layer extend only between two flat faces of the polymeric matrix. The metal segments can have a variety of shapes, e.g., flat rectangles, cylinders, cones, pyramids, hemispheres, squares, and cubes that can be open on one or both ends. When the polymeric matrix is an adhesive, it can bond the two electronic components together, but this prevents the components from being disconnected and reconnected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,259 (Appeldorn), which does not mention electrical connectors, provides intermeshable members that can be used in pairs as mechanical fasteners. Each of the members has a structured surface including a plurality of tapered elements, each element having at least one side inclined relative to a common plane at an angle sufficient to form a taper. Upon being intermeshed with the tapered sides of the two elements in contact, the pair of members become frictionally interlocked when the tangent of the half angle of the tapered sides is no greater than the coefficient of friction of the material of the contacting surfaces. Individual tapered elements can be exceedingly small.
The disclosure in the Appeldorn patent is incorporated herein by reference.